Lemony Quinoa Salad

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: quinoa is the best! It's inexpensive, versatile, gluten-free, and is a complete protein that is plant-based. It also contains a ton of fiber and iron. It's a staple in my kitchen and hopefully yours too. So naturally having a simple go-to recipe for quinoa is a valuable resource.

This quinoa salad is anything but bland. It's a simple recipe, yet very tasty and very nutritious. Cucumber, lemon juice and zest keep things refreshing while the raw hemp seeds add some extra protein and healthy fat. I love this salad to bits and it's probably one of my favourite combinations that I've made to date.

All it takes is one pot and a bowl to combine everything. The best part is, it's an easy way to help you incorporate healthy eating into lunches and weeknight meals.

Just a reminder though, it's important to rinse your quinoa thoroughly before cooking it to remove the saponin, which gives the grain a bitter taste. Rinsing this bitter coating off also make the quinoa more easily digestible. The first time I ever made quinoa I neglected to do the rinse simply because I didn't know any better...and the results? Yuck!!! I remember thinking, "what am I doing wrong? Is it supposed to taste this way?" Yeah...no.

The hemp seeds are from North Coast Naturals and are 100% Canadian and raw. I've been iffy about hemp seeds in the past, but these are delicious. When I opened up the bag to take a scoop out what struck me was how incredibly fresh they were.

The taste is light and creamy from the crumbled goat cheese. I seriously can't stop eating this! It's a huge hit with everyone in my house. I can't get over this one! When I was creating this recipe I really had the idea in mind to serve it warm, but unfortunately I didn't get to devour this the day I made it. Instead I was making it for lunches to have the following day. So I reheated it to take the cold edge off and it was as good as gold. What I loved was how that little bit of heat warmed up the cucumber and slightly melted the creamy goat cheese, making it even more creamy. It reminded me of the cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches I would sometimes get back-in-the-day.

Lemony Quinoa Salad gluten-free, grain-free | Yields 3 servings

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 scallions (green onions), minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 3 tbsp raw hemp seed hearts (I used 1 scoop of North Coast Naturals)
• 1/4-1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Rinse your quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve under running water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Do not stir while it cooks. Once cooking is finished (the water should be absorbed and the quinoa tender), remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. While the quinoa rests, grab a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine the lemon juice, zest, green onions, olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. 
4. Give the quinoa a fluff with a fork and then add it to mixing bowl with lemon dressing. Add the raw hemp seeds and sliced cucumber along with the quinoa and stir or toss to combine everything. Serve warm and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe Calories: 243 Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 25mg Fat: Sodium: 92g Carbohydrates: 26g Sugar: 2g Fiber: 4g Protein: 12g

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars

So I'm really quite excited! I recently teamed up with the Canadian company North Coast Naturals to develop some tasty new recipes using their products. I've been working very hard testing out my first recipe for these energy bars and I just couldn't wait to finally share them with you!

For my first recipe trial I wanted to make an energy+protein bar that I could feel good about eating and would help fuel me through my workouts.

Enter the No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bar.

I used North Coast Natural's vanilla 100% Iso-Protein Powder to give them a good hit of protein and nutrition. I love that this protein powder is all natural and has no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colours or flavours. It's naturally sweetend with low-glycemic stevia and blends well in smoothies - no chalky taste at all. It really does taste great! Trust me, I wouldn't candy-coat the truth. I love how it tasted in these bars too. Next time I'm thinking of trying the chocolate Iso-Protein in these bars. Chocolate and peanut butter were made to go together!

Now there's 2 kinds of protein/energy bars that I like. First there's the cakey kind. And then secondly, there's the chewy kind. These are a bit of a mix between the two. They're soft and chewy, but still have some crumbliness going on. Perfection in bar form if I do say so myself.

I've been trying these as pre-workout snacks before going to the gym to lift weights. They're satiating and have just the right amount of carbs and protein. The best part is you know exactly what went into them. You get about 300 calories, 15 grams of protein, and 28 grams of clean carbohydrates. Plus they're delicious! They also make a perfect on-the-run to-go breakfast.

Happy lifting, friends!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan option | Yields 12 bars

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup, or agave, coconut nectar, honey
• 2 tbsp coconut butter
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used North Coast Naturals Vanilla Iso-Protein)
• 1/2 cup raisins, or other dried fruit
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Place oats, protein powder, raisins, pepitas and slivered almonds in a large bowl; mix to combine.
2. Warm peanut butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Pour over oat mixture and mix well to combine.
3. Press into an 8x8-inch-square pan lined with parchment paper so the bars will lift out easily. Press the mixture down until evenly flattended. Let cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour to harden.
4. Cut into 12 bars. Keep refrigerated.

Notes:

• North Coast Naturals Iso-Protein is not vegan.
• To make this nut-free try using sunflower seed butter or tahini and replace the slivered almonds with extra toasted pepitas.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 bar Calories: 337 Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 14mg Carbohydrates: 28g Sugar: 14g Fiber: 5g Protein: 15g